Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Housing

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to allocate funding from the public purse for home energy efficiency installations; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry: Holding answer received on 26 March 2018



The Clean Growth Strategy (CGS), published in October 2017, sets out a number of policies and proposals to encourage home energy efficiency installations including;A £6 billion package to help end fuel poverty and drive innovation in energy efficiency. Government recently launched a consultation focussing on 100% of the £640m per year ECO scheme on the fuel poor which would see energy saving improvements like insulation and modern efficient heating systems installed in 900,000 homes by March 2022. The government also committed to maintaining funding for home energy efficiency until at least 2028 as part of the Clean Growth StrategySeeking evidence on building a market for energy efficiency, including additional measures to improve the energy performance of owner occupied homes through a Call for Evidence. The Call for Evidence explored a number of potential policies including fiscal incentives for energy efficiency, price signals to reward more efficient properties, and new incentives for network companies and mortgage lenders. The consultation period closed on 9th Jan 2018. Following an evaluation of responses, the government will put forward a plan of action for the years to come, later in 2018.Working with mortgage lenders to incorporate energy efficiency into their lending decisions, alongside developing innovative “green mortgage” products. BEIS and HM Treasury ministers jointly set up a Green Finance Taskforce, which brought together senior leaders from the finance sector. Their objectives were to help deliver the investment needed to meet the ambitions and commitments set out in the CGS, whilst consolidating the UK’s leadership in financing international low carbon investment. The Taskforce recently published their recommendations, including how to encourage development of green mortgage products. The government is currently considering these recommendations and will respond in due course.As a response to the Taskforce’ recommendations and following the success of their Green Bond, launched in November, Barclays are the first major lender in the UK to launch a green mortgage product which will reward homebuyers who choose to buy an energy efficient new build home with a lower interest rate on their mortgages. This is an encouraging step and we hope other lenders will follow suit.

Department of Health and Social Care

General Practitioners: Postnatal Care

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of GP practices offer a six week postnatal check-up; and what information his Department holds on the take-up of such checks at those practices.

Steve Brine: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 08 March 2018.The correct answer should have been:

All general practitioner (GP) practices are expected to provide maternity medical services for their registered patients. Practices may however exceptionally choose to opt out of providing such services e.g. on workload grounds. Practices which choose to opt out will relinquish a proportion of their global sum income – currently 2.1%. It is the responsibility of the lead commissioner locally (NHS England or clinical commissioning groups under delegated agreement) to ensure the patients of opted out practices can continue to access these services e.g. commissioning the service from a nearby alternative practice. NHS England and the Department do not collate data on the number of practices that have opted out but financial information gives some indication as payments to these practices are reduced to fund the re-commissioning of services. Financial data from 2016/17 suggests that up to four practices out of the 7,523 opted out of maternity medical services., which includes the six week postnatal check-up. NHS England and the Department do not collect information on the number of patients who have their post-natal check at their GP practice.

Steve Brine: All general practitioner (GP) practices are expected to provide maternity medical services for their registered patients. Practices may however exceptionally choose to opt out of providing such services e.g. on workload grounds. Practices which choose to opt out will relinquish a proportion of their global sum income – currently 2.1%. It is the responsibility of the lead commissioner locally (NHS England or clinical commissioning groups under delegated agreement) to ensure the patients of opted out practices can continue to access these services e.g. commissioning the service from a nearby alternative practice. NHS England and the Department do not collate data on the number of practices that have opted out but financial information gives some indication as payments to these practices are reduced to fund the re-commissioning of services. Financial data from 2016/17 suggests that up to four practices out of the 7,523 opted out of maternity medical services., which includes the six week postnatal check-up. NHS England and the Department do not collect information on the number of patients who have their post-natal check at their GP practice.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Ritual Slaughter

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what percentage of animals killed for (a) the halal market and (b) the kosher market were pre-stunned in each year since 2010.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what percentage of non-stun meat produced in the UK is exported, and which countries is it exported to.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many poultry were slaughtered by parameters not listed in EU legislation in each year since 2010.

George Eustice: The Department does not hold data on animals killed by different slaughter methods each year. In terms of the Kosher market, all animals are slaughtered without prior stunning. Religious slaughter may only be carried out by Jews or Muslims for the food of Jews or Muslims. The Department does not hold data on what percentage of meat from non-stun religious slaughter is exported. The data we hold on the Halal market is based on surveys carried out by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Previous FSA surveys were carried in 2011 and 2013 and 2015. An FSA survey was carried out earlier this year but we have not yet received the results. The data from the 2015 survey carried out during a 4 week period between 16 November and 13 December 2015, showed a total of 9,463,845 birds were stunned by parameters not listed in the EU Regulation. The 2015 survey only captured the number of birds stunned by parameters not listed in the EU Regulation, it did not capture data on all animals stunned prior slaughter for the Halal market. The 2013 survey was the last survey which recorded both non stun and stunned data for the Halal market. In that survey 75% of cattle, 63% of sheep and goats and 72% of poultry were stunned prior to slaughter for the Halal Market.

Fisheries

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the UK fishing industry of that industry remaining under EU fishing regulations during the transitional period after the UK leaves the EU.

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the UK fishing industry of remaining under EU fishing regulations during a transitional deal.

George Eustice: The government considers that the main effect on the fishing industry of being subject to the Implementation Period is that the opportunity to change our approach to managing fishing resources within our Exclusive Economic Zone is delayed until the end of 2020. During the Implementation Period the UK's current share of quotas will not change.